Apparatuses for supporting and monitoring a condition of a person

ABSTRACT

A person monitoring system is operable to predict the onset of an adverse condition of a person. The system receives first information corresponding to a feature of a person support apparatus and second information corresponding to a physiological characteristic of the person. The system calculates a condition score as a function of the first and second information. In some instances, the system alerts a caregiver if the condition score exceeds a predetermined threshold. Alternatively or additionally, the person monitoring system alerts a caregiver when a person supported on a person support apparatus is regaining consciousness by monitoring one or more of a change in position, a heart rate, and a respiration rate. A person monitoring system that monitors a person&#39;s quality of sleep and presents information concerning the quality of sleep to one or more interested parties is also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/011,833, filed Aug. 28, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. ______, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/881,285, filed Sep. 14,2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,525,680, which claims the benefit, under 35U.S.C. §119(e), of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 61/243,714;61/243,741; 61/243,806; and 61/243,825; each of which was filed Sep. 18,2009 and each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

The present application relates to U.S. application Ser. No. 12/881,252,filed Sep. 14, 2010 and titled “Sensor Control for Apparatuses forSupporting and Monitoring a Person,” now published as U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2011/0068928 A1.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to person support apparatuses. Moreparticularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates toperson support apparatuses that incorporate or are used with vital signsmonitoring devices and movement detection systems.

Person support apparatuses can include beds, chairs, stretchers, seats,mattresses, therapy surfaces, furniture, and the like, or otherapparatuses that support a person. Hospital beds and stretchers,hospital mattresses, and wheelchairs are examples of such apparatusesthat support persons. Consumer beds, chairs, and furniture are alsoexamples of such person support apparatuses, as are seats for vehicles,businesses, and venues.

Vital signs monitors monitor one or more physiological parameters of aperson, such as body temperature, pulse rate, heart rate, bloodpressure, and respiratory rate, as well as other body signs, such asend-tidal CO2, SpO2 (saturation of oxygen in arterial blood flow,sometimes referred to as pulse oximetry), and other indicators of theperson's physiological state. Movement and/or position detection systemsmonitor the movement of a person to determine if they are attempting toexit the support apparatus. Movement and/or position detection systemsare sometimes included as part of a hospital bed.

While various systems have been developed, there is still a need forfurther contributions and improvements in these areas of technology,particularly with regard to predicting the onset of an adverse conditionprior to the occurrence of the condition.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure includes one or more of the features recited inthe appended claims and/or the following features which, alone or in anycombination, may comprise patentable subject matter.

A person monitor system may include a person support apparatusconfigured to support a person. The person support apparatus may have atleast one first sensor sensing first information corresponding to afeature of the person support apparatus. The system may have a secondsensor sensing second information corresponding to a physiologicalcharacteristic of the person. A controller of the monitor system mayreceive the first information sensed by the first sensor and the secondinformation sensed by the second sensor. The controller may calculate acondition score as a function of the first information and the secondinformation. A communication system may be coupled to the controller.The communication system may alert a caregiver in response to thecondition score violating a predetermined threshold condition.

The person support apparatus may comprise a hospital bed, for example.The first sensor may be included as part of a patient positionmonitoring system of the hospital bed and the first information mayinclude patient movement information. In some embodiments, the firstsensor may include at least one load cell. The first sensor may belocated inside an interior region of a mattress of the hospital bed. Thesecond sensor may also be located inside an interior region of themattress.

The condition score may comprise a modified early warning score (MEWS)having different integers assigned to a portion of the MEWS dependingupon whether a patient is alert (A), responsive to voice (V), responsiveto pain (P), or unresponsive (U). The patient movement information maybe used by the controller to automatically assign an appropriate integercorresponding to the A portion or the U portion of the MEWS.

The controller may initiate a voice query to the person and, if theperson answers the voice query orally or by engaging a user input, thenthe controller may automatically assign an appropriate integercorresponding to the V portion of the MEWS. The controller may controlinflation and deflation of an inflatable cuff or sleeve placed on a limbof the person. If the patient movement information indicates sufficientpatient movement by the patient in response to inflation of the cuff orsleeve, then the controller may automatically assign an appropriateinteger corresponding to the P portion of the MEWS. The second sensormay comprise a plurality of sensors sensing the person's systolic bloodpressure, heart rate, respiration rate, and temperature, each of whichis used by the controller to calculate the MEWS.

The person support apparatus may comprise a hospital bed that includes agraphical display to display the condition score. The graphical displaymay be, for example, a touchscreen display that is used by a caregiverto control functions of the person support apparatus. The second sensormay include at least one contact sensor that contacts the person andthat operates to sense a first physiological condition and at least onecontact-less sensor that is spaced from the person and that operates tosense a second physiological condition. The at least one contact sensorand the at least one contact-less sensor may be included as part of thehospital bed. The controller may receive patient information from thepatient's electronic medical record (EMR) and the condition score mayalso be a function of the patient information.

Also according to this disclosure, a person monitor system may comprisea person support apparatus supporting a person, the person supportapparatus having a sensor that senses information regarding at least oneof a change in position, a heart rate, and a respiration rate of theperson on the person support apparatus, and a controller receiving theinformation sensed by the sensor, the controller determining if thepatient is awake by comparing the information to a predeterminedthreshold, and the controller initiating an alert to a caregiver inresponse to the patient becoming awake.

The controller may determine the person's sleep quality by processingthe information. The system may further comprise a display coupled tothe controller and displaying data about the person's sleep quality. Thedisplay may be mounted to the person support apparatus. The personsupport apparatus may comprise a hospital bed and the sensor may beincluded as a part of a patient movement monitoring system of thehospital bed.

Further according to this disclosure, a person monitor system mayinclude a person support apparatus that may, in turn, have a sensor thatsenses information regarding at least one of a change in position, aheart rate, and a respiration rate of the person on the person supportapparatus. The system may further include a controller that may receivethe information sensed by the sensor and that may determine the person'ssleep quality by processing the information. A display may also beincluded and data about the person's sleep quality may be displayed onthe display.

The data about the person's sleep quality may include at least one oftime until sleep onset, amount of times awoken during a sleep cycle,amount of times the person exited the person support apparatus duringthe cycle, amount of movement during the sleep cycle regardless of stageof sleep, amount of time in each stage of sleep, and amount of sleepapnea occurrences. The person support apparatus may comprise a hospitalbed to which the display may be mounted.

Some embodiments may include a control system for a person supportsystem configured to receive input signals from at least one of a sensorand an electronic medical record (EMR), generate a condition score as afunction of the input that can corresponding to the likelihood of anadverse condition occurring, and alert a caregiver when the conditionscore exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Additional features, which alone or in combination with any otherfeature(s), such as those listed above and/or those listed in theclaims, can comprise patentable subject matter and will become apparentto those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detaileddescription of various embodiments exemplifying the best mode ofcarrying out the embodiments as presently perceived.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the illustrative examples in the drawings, wherein likenumerals represent the same or similar elements throughout:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of person monitoring system according toone or more principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective side view of the person support apparatus of theperson monitoring system of FIG. 1 according to one illustrativeembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective side view of a person support surface that canbe supported on the person support apparatus of FIG. 2 according to oneillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective side view of the upper frame of the personsupport apparatus of FIG. 2 according to one illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 5 is diagrammatic view of a control system of the person supportapparatus of FIG. 2 according to one illustrative embodiment including acontroller and a plurality of sensors;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a procedure that can be executed bythe controller of the control system of FIG. 5 according to oneillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a control system of the person supportapparatus of FIG. 2 according to one illustrative embodiment including acontroller and a plurality of sensors; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a procedure executed by the controller ofthe control system of FIG. 7 according to one illustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the present disclosure can take many different forms, for thepurpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of thedisclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated inthe drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same.No limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended.Various alterations, further modifications of the described embodiments,and any further applications of the principles of the disclosure, asdescribed herein, are contemplated.

One illustrative embodiment includes a control system coupled to aperson support system configured to receive input signals correspondingto at least one of bed status information, person position, electronicmedical record information, and physiological information, generate acondition score corresponding to the likelihood of an adverse conditionoccurring, and alert a caregiver when the condition score exceeds apredetermined threshold.

A person monitor system 3010 according to one illustrative embodiment ofthe current disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. The person monitor system3010 includes a signaling and communication system 3012 in communicationwith a person support apparatus 3014. The person monitor system 3010 isconfigured to provide caregivers with information about a personsupported on the person support apparatus 3014 through the signaling andcommunication system 3012. In one illustrative embodiment, the signalingand communication system 3012 comprises a patient/nurse call system 3012that, in some embodiments, includes patient stations capable ofgenerating hospital calls and a remote master station which prioritizesand store the calls. One example of such a system is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,561,412 issued on Oct. 1, 1996 to Novak et al., which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Another example ofsuch a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,195 issued on May 8,2006 to Shipley, which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

In some embodiments, the signaling and communication system 3012includes a system 3012 for transmitting voice and data in packets over anetwork with any suitable number of intra-room networks that can couplea number of data devices to an audio station, where the audio stationcouples the respective intra-room network to a packet based network. Oneexample of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,315,535 issuedon Jan. 1, 2008 to Schuman, which is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety. Another example of such a system is disclosed in U.S.Patent Publication No. 2008/0095156 issued on Apr. 24, 2008 to Schuman,which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

According to some embodiments, the signaling and communication system3012 includes a patient/nurse call system, a nurse call/locating badge,an electronic medical record (EMR) database, and one or more computersprogrammed with work-flow process software. One example of such a systemis disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0094207 published onApr. 24, 2008 to Collins, Jr. et al., which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety. Another example of such a system is disclosed inU.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0210917 published on Sep. 13, 2007 toCollins, Jr. et al., which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety. Yet another example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 7,319,386 published on Jan. 15, 2008 to Collins, Jr. et al., whichis incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. It should beappreciated that the workflow process software can be the NaviCare®software available from Hill-Rom Company, Inc. It should also beappreciated that the workflow process software can be the systemdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,443,303 issued on Oct. 28, 2008 to Spear etal., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Itshould further be appreciated that the badge can be of the typeavailable as part of the ComLinx™ system from Hill-Rom Company, Inc. Itshould also be appreciated that the badge can also be of the typeavailable from Vocera Communications, Inc.

According to some embodiments, the remote signaling and communicationsystem 3012 is configured to organize, store, maintain and facilitateretrieval of bed status information, along with the various non-bedcalls placed in a hospital wing or ward, and remotely identify andmonitor the status and location of the person support apparatus,patients, and caregivers. One example of such a system is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 7,242,308 issued on Jul. 10, 2007 to Ulrich et al., whichis incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. It should beappreciated that the remote status and location monitoring can be thesystem disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,242,306 issued on Jul. 10, 2007 toWildman et al., which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety. It should also be appreciated that the remote status andlocation monitoring can be the system disclosed in U.S. PatentPublication No. 2007/0247316 published on Oct. 25, 2007 to Wildman etal., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The person support apparatus 3014 according to one illustrativeembodiment of the current disclosure is shown in FIG. 2. The personsupport apparatus 3014 includes a head section H1, where the head and aportion of the torso of a person are to be positioned, and a footsection F1, where the feet of a person are to be positioned. The personsupport apparatus 3014 includes a lower frame 3016 or base 3016, anupper frame 3018, a plurality of supports 3020, and a control system3022. It should be appreciated that the person support apparatus 3014can include only one support 3016. The lower frame 3016 includes atleast one lower frame section supported by casters 3024. The supports3020 are lift mechanisms 3020 that define a vertical axis Z1 whichextends through the lower frame 3016 and the upper frame 3018 and areconfigured to move the upper frame 3018 with respect to the lower frame3016. It should be appreciated that the supports 3020 can be at leastone fixed column (not shown), if desired. It should also be appreciatedthat, in some embodiments, the supports 3020 move the upper frame 3018to a Trendelenburg/reverse Trendelenburg position and/or rotate theupper frame 3014 from side to side with respect to the lower frame 3012.

The person support apparatus 3014 supports a person support surface 3026on the upper frame 3018 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The person supportsurface 3026 is configured to support a person (not shown) in multiplearticulated positions. The person support surface 3026 includes a backportion B1 and a main portion M1. The person support surface 3026includes an outer cover or ticking C1 that covers one or more supportsections and/or layers having foam and/or fluid bladders 3028. In someembodiments, the person support surface 3026 delivers therapy to theperson, such as, for example, through sequential inflation/deflation ofthe fluid bladders 3028, rapid changes in pressure of the fluid in thefluid bladders 3028, passing fluid through the person support surface3026, and/or various other techniques. For example, in variousembodiments, one or more portions of the surface 3026 providealternating pressure therapy, continuous lateral rotation therapy, lowair loss therapy, boost assistance, percussion/vibration therapy, and/orother therapies. It should also be appreciated that, in someembodiments, the person support surface 3026 includes a coverlet (notshown) that overlies another person support surface 3026 and isconfigured to deliver therapy to a person supported thereon. The personsupport surface 3026 receives fluid from a fluid supply FS connected tothe person support surface 3026 by a connecting tube T1. In someembodiments, the fluid supply FS is a gas blower and is configured tovary at least one of a rate and a temperature of fluid supplied to theperson support surface 3026.

The upper frame 3018 defines a longitudinal axis X1 that extends atleast the length of the person support apparatus 3014 through the headend H1 and the foot end F1 along the lateral center of the upper frame3018, and a lateral axis Y1 that is perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis X1 and extends at least the width of the person support apparatus3014 through the longitudinal center of the upper frame 3018 as shown inFIGS. 2 and 4. The upper frame 3018 includes a deck 3030, anintermediate frame 3032, and an upper frame base 3034 that couples withthe supports 3020 and supports the deck 3030 and the intermediate frame3032. It should be appreciated that the upper frame 3018 includes afootboard FB, a head board HB, and/or siderails SR in some embodiments.The deck 3030 is comprised of multiple sections, such as, a head decksection HD, a seat deck section SD, and a foot deck section FD, that arepivotably coupled to one another and/or the intermediate frame 3032 andarticulate about the lateral axis Y1.

The control system 3022 is configured to control various functions ofthe person support apparatus 3014 and/or communicate with the signalingand communication system 3012 as shown in FIG. 5. It should beappreciated that the control system 3022 can be configured to becontrolled through the signaling and communication system 3012, ifdesired. In one illustrative embodiment, the control system 3022 isconfigured to articulate the deck 3030 with respect to the intermediateframe 3032. In some embodiments, the control system 3022 is configuredto administer therapy to a person supported on the person supportapparatus 3014. According to some embodiments, the control system 3022is configured to alert caregivers when a person is exiting the personsupport apparatus 3014.

It is contemplated by this disclosure that the control system 3022 isconfigured to predict the onset of an adverse condition and alert acaregiver. In some embodiments contemplated herein, the control system2022 is configured to alert caregivers when a person is regainingconsciousness. Alerting the caregiver when a person is regainingconsciousness can be helpful in instances where the person isunconscious when admitted to a hospital and is, for example, secured tothe person support apparatus, being tube fed, has broken or lost a limb,and/or lost their sight, because the person can become anxious uponregaining consciousness and can cause additional trauma to themselvesbefore a caregiver can arrive to calm them and/or explain what is goingon.

The control system 3022 includes a plurality of sensors 3036, controlmodules 3038, and a display 3040 as shown in FIG. 5. The sensors 3036and/or the control modules 3038 are coupled to the upper frame 3018 insome embodiments. It should be appreciated that the sensors 3036 and/orthe control modules 3038 can be coupled to the lower frame 3016,supports 3020, and/or incorporated within or coupled to the personsupport surface 3020 in other embodiments, if desired. In oneillustrative embodiment, the sensors 3036, control modules 3038, and thedisplay 3040 are directly connected to one another. In anotherillustrative embodiment, the sensors 3036, control modules 3038, and thedisplay 3040 are operatively connected to one another through a network3042.

The network 3042 facilitates communication between the various modules3038, sensors 3036, displays 3040, and/or other equipment operativelyconnected to the network 3042. In one illustrative embodiment, thenetwork 3042 comprises a CAN network on a person support apparatus 3014.In another illustrative embodiment, the network 3042 is part of thesignaling and communication system 3012. In some embodiments, thenetwork 3042 comprises a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) network. Itshould be appreciated that the network 3042 can be other types ofnetworks or communication protocols that can facilitate communicationbetween two or more devices. It should also be appreciated that themodule 3038 can be configured to connect to the network 3042 wirelessly,if desired. In one illustrative embodiment, the control module 3038negotiates with the network 3042 to be a network node. According to someembodiments contemplated by this disclosure, the control modules 3038can be located at or on any node on the network 3042 and/or distributedacross multiple nodes on the network 3042.

In the illustrative example, the sensors 3036 are operatively connectedto the control modules 3038 and include sensors that contact the person(contact sensors 3044) and/or sensors that do not contact the person(contact-less sensors 3046) as shown in FIG. 5. In one illustrativeembodiment, the contact sensors 3044 contact a person's tissue tomeasure the desired parameter. In another illustrative embodiment, thecontact-less sensors 3046 are integrated into the person support surface3026. It should be appreciated that the contact-less sensors 3046 can beintegrated into the portion of the ticking C1 contacting the person, ifdesired. In some embodiments, the contact-less sensors 3046 are coupledto at least one of the upper frame 3018, the supports 3020, and/or thelower frame 3016. It should be appreciated that the contact-less sensors3046 can be coupled to the casters 3024 and/or engaged by the casters3024, if desired.

The sensors 3036 are configured to sense a variety of parameters,including, but not limited to, for example, a person's physiologicalinformation, a position of a person on the person support apparatus 3014and/or person support surface 3026, a pressure of the fluid inside thebladders 3028 in the person support surface 3026, or other variousparameters. In one illustrative embodiment, the contact sensors 3044include blood pressure sensors 3048 that are configured to sense theperson's blood pressure; oxygen saturation level (SpO2) sensors 3050that are configured to sense the amount of hemoglobin binding sites inthe person's bloodstream occupied by oxygen; temperature sensors 3052that are configured to sense the person's body temperature; heart ratesensors 3054 that are configured to sense the rate at which a person'sheart contracts; and respiration rate sensors 3056 that are configuredto sense the person's breathing rate as shown in FIG. 5. It should beappreciated that the SpO2 sensors 3050 comprise a pulse oximeter devicein some embodiments. It should be appreciated that the contact sensors3044 are configured to measure other physiological and biochemicalparameters in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the contact-less sensors 3046 include one or moreof the following: force sensors 3058 configured to sense the forceprofile and/or distribution of a person supported on a person supportapparatus 3014; pressure sensors 3060 configured to measure the pressurein or among the bladders 3028; temperature sensors 3062 configured tosense the person's body temperature; heart rate sensors 3064 configuredto sense the rate at which the person's heart contracts; respirationrate sensors 3066 configured to sense the person's breathing rate; andother sensors configured to sense information corresponding to thestatus of the person-support apparatus 3014, such as, for example, theangle of the head deck section HD with respect to the longitudinal axisX1 as shown in FIG. 5.

In some embodiments, the force sensors 3058 are load cells 3058 thatcouple the intermediate frame 3032 to the upper frame base 3034proximate the corners of the upper frame 3018 and are configured tomeasure the weight of a person on the person support apparatus 3014.Alternatively or additionally, the force sensors 3058 comprisepiezoelectric sensors and/or elongated sensor strips or arrays 3058 insome embodiments. In some embodiments, the pressure sensors 3060 arecoupled between the bladders 3028 such that they allow communicationbetween adjacent bladders 3028. In some embodiments, pressure sensors3060 are situated within the bladders 3028 and measure the pressurewithin the bladder 3028.

In some embodiments, the heart rate sensors 3064 and respiration ratesensors 3066 are integrated into the surface 3026. In some embodimentscontemplated herein, the heart rate sensors 3064 and respiration ratesensors 3066 are force sensors 3058 and/or pressure sensors 3060. Itwill be appreciated that the sensors 3036 are configured to sensevarious other physiological characteristics. In some embodiments, theheart rate sensors 3064 and respiration rate sensors 3066 arepressure-strip sensors disposed on the fluid bladders 3028 along an axisparallel to the lateral axis Y1 and/or along an axis parallel to thelongitudinal axis X1.

The control modules 3038 can each be configured to perform differentoperations, if desired. According to this disclosure, a single controlmodule 3038 can be configured to perform the multiple differentoperations if desired. Optionally, a single control module 3038 can beconfigured to perform operations independently or in conjunction with atleast one other control module 3038. In one contemplated embodiment, onecontrol module 3038, such as, a person position monitor module (notshown) (PPM), is configured to detect the position of a person on theperson support apparatus 3014. Alternatively or additionally, a secondcontrol module 3038, such as a therapy control module (not shown), isconfigured to sense and/or modify the pressure within the fluid bladders3028. Optionally, a third control module 3038, such as a physiologicalparameter monitor (not shown), is configured to detect a person'sphysiological information. In some embodiments, a fourth control module3038, such as a wake up detector (not shown), is configured to detectwhen a person is regaining consciousness.

The control modules 3038 are implemented using software or hardware. Insome embodiments, the control modules 3038 are implemented in softwareand are configured to perform one or more operations. In someembodiments, for example, the modules 3038 are configured to communicatevia a memory mailbox where information from one module is sent to thememory address of a recipient module. In other embodiments, the softwaremodules are configured to push information in a memory location, suchas, a stack, that the control modules 3038 monitor or periodically checkfor information that the software modules subscribe to.

In contemplated embodiments, the control module 3038 is implementedusing hardware. The control module 3038 includes a controller 3074 orprocessor 3074 and memory 3076 as shown in FIG. 5. The controller 3074is provided as a single component or a collection of operatively coupledcomponents; and can be comprised of digital circuitry, analog circuitry,or a hybrid combination of both of these types. When of amulti-component form, controller 3074 has one or more componentsremotely located relative to the others. The controller 3074 can includemultiple processing units arranged to operate independently, in apipeline processing arrangement, in a parallel processing arrangement,and/or such different arrangement as would occur to those skilled in theart.

In some embodiments, processor 3074 is a programmable microprocessingdevice of a solid-state, integrated circuit type that includes one ormore processing units and memory. The controller 3074 can include one ormore signal conditioners, modulators, demodulators, Arithmetic LogicUnits (ALUs), Central Processing Units (CPUs), limiters, oscillators,control clocks, amplifiers, signal conditioners, filters, formatconverters, communication ports, clamps, delay devices, memory devices,and/or different circuitry or functional components as would occur tothose skilled in the art to perform the desired communications. In someembodiments, the controller 3074 includes a computer network interfaceto communicate among various system components and/or components notincluded in the depicted system, as desired. The listed examples are notintended to be an exhaustive list of structures that are within thescope of controller 3074, but are instead only a non-exhaustive list ofsuch structures which can have substantial differences in the manner inwhich they are implemented and/or operate.

The controller 3074 is configured to receive input signals correspondingto signals from the sensors 3036 and/or output signals from othermodules 3038 via the network 3042. The information is stored in thememory 3076, which is operatively coupled to the controller 3074 asshown in FIG. 5. It should be appreciated that the memory 3076 isintegrated into the controller in some embodiments. The controller 3074is configured to execute operating logic 3078 that defines variouscontrol, management, and/or regulation functions. This operating logic3078 can be in the form of software, firmware, and/or dedicatedhardware, such as, a series of programmed instructions, code, electronicfiles, or commands using general purpose or special purpose programminglanguages or programs that are executed on one or more general purposeor special purpose computers, processors, other control circuitry, ornetworks; a hardwired state machine; and/or a different form as wouldoccur to those skilled in the art.

In the illustrative embodiment, the controller 3074 includes operatinglogic 3078 in the form of procedure 3080, for example, as shown in theflowchart of FIG. 6. Procedure 3080 includes operations/conditionalsshown at blocks 3082, 3084, 3086, and 3088. Procedure 3080 is used togenerate a condition score corresponding to the condition of a person,which is compared to a threshold in order to predict the onset of anadverse condition.

The thresholds are established in accordance with hospital specificstandard protocols and/or are generic thresholds that can be modified asdesired. In some embodiments, the preset thresholds that are set bystandard hospital specific protocols, which are automatically selectedbased on information present in a person's electronic medical record(EMR), in patient profiles, and/or based on the condition scoregenerated by the procedure 3080. Alternatively or additionally, thethresholds are set by a caregiver through an interface (not shown) onthe person-support apparatus 3014 by manually selecting the protocols ormodifying the generic thresholds. In some contemplated embodiments, thethresholds are automatically modified based on information in theperson's electronic medical record (EMR). It should be appreciated thatthe thresholds can be person specific and can be incorporated into theperson's EMR. It should also be appreciated that the thresholds can beincorporated into a patient profile that can be used for multiple peoplewith similar characteristics. In some embodiments, the thresholds aremodified by a caregiver through the signaling and communication system3012.

Illustrative procedure 3080 begins with operation 3082 where, in oneillustrative embodiment, the sensors 3036 post electronic data signalscorresponding to at least one of an event and an amount on the network3042. In some embodiments, the sensors 3036 post electronic data signalsto a memory mailbox or register (not shown) where the modules 3038 areimplemented in software. In some embodiments, sensors 3036 post datasignals substantially continuously and, in other embodiments, sensors3036 post data signals at predetermined intervals. The data signals fromsensors 3036 are representative of heart rate, respiration rate,temperature, blood pressure and/or SpO2 as indicated at block 3082 ofFIG. 6. Data signals corresponding to features of the person supportapparatus 3014 are also posted to the network such as, for example,signals from force sensors 3044 of a patient position and/or movementmonitoring system of apparatus 3014 and are used in a similar manner assignals from sensors 3036 in procedure 3080.

In the conditional of block 3084, the controller 3074 examines each ofthe data signals posted by the sensors 3036 on the network 3042 anddetermines if the associated module 3038 subscribes to the data. If themodule 3038 does not subscribe to the data, then the algorithm returnsto block 3082 and awaits more incoming data.

If at block 3084 it is determined that module 3038 subscribes to thedata, the algorithm proceeds to the operation of block 3086 and the datais input into an algorithm that is used to predict an adverse event orcondition. In some embodiments, the data signals can be used to selectone or more standard hospital specific protocols, which, in someinstances, have predetermined thresholds associated therewith.Alternatively or additionally, the data signals can be input into analgorithm that is used to select the hospital specific protocols and/orto set the predetermined thresholds associated with the protocols.

In the operation of block 3088, the controller 3074 executes thealgorithm to generate a condition score corresponding to the conditionof the person and/or to generate a graphic representative of thecondition of the person. In one embodiment, the algorithm receivesinputs from the contact-less sensors 3046 corresponding to the heartrate, respiration rate, and temperature of a person, and inputs from thecontact sensors 3044 corresponding to the blood pressure and SpO2 of aperson. It should be understood that all of the inputs can be from thecontact sensors 3044 in other embodiments. The controller 3074 processesthe data inputs in accordance with the algorithm to calculate thecondition score and/or generate the graphic.

In some embodiments, the algorithm combines the inputs into a datapoint, which is used to calculate a condition score constituting aone-dimensional visualization space based on the distance of the datapoint in a multi-dimensional measurement space, whose coordinates aredefined by values of the inputs, from a normal point. In othercontemplated embodiments, the algorithm maps the inputs from ann-dimensional measurement space to an m-dimensional visualization spaceusing a dimensionality reduction mapping technique, and displays them-dimensional visualization space on the display 3040. One example ofsuch a system using this algorithm and technique is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 7,031,857 issued on Apr. 18, 2006 to Tarassenko et al., whichis hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Onecondition score in accordance with the teachings of U.S. Pat. No.7,031,857 is know as a Visensia® index that can be produced by theVisensia® system sold by OBS Medical, for example. The Visensia® indexcreates a score based on heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure,temperature, and SpO2 data.

Based on the foregoing, it will be understood that the Visensia® indexis a condition score that is based on, or a function of, only a person'sphysiological data. According to this disclosure, some or all of thephysiological data used to calculate the Visensia® index is obtained byone or more sensors included as part of the person support apparatus3014. This distinguishes over the known prior art. To the extent thatsome of the physiological data needed to calculate a condition score,such as the Visensia® index, is obtained by equipment and/or sensorsthat are not included as part of person support apparatus 3014, suchdata is transmitted to controller 3074 in accordance with thisdisclosure for the purpose of calculating the condition score. Forexample, data is transmitted to controller 3074 from a person's EMR insome instances as suggested diagrammatically in FIG. 5. In otherinstances, person support apparatus 3014 is communicatively coupled tophysiological monitoring equipment that is co-located with apparatus3014 to obtain the needed data for calculating a condition score. In thepreceding examples, controller 3074 automatically initiates the queriesto obtain the needed data from the EMR or co-located equipment and/orpicks up the needed data from network transmissions. Thus, controller3074 automatically calculates the condition score without the need forany further actions on the part of caregivers or users. However, it iswithin the scope of this disclosure for some or all of the neededphysiological data to be entered by a caregiver using a user interfaceof the apparatus 3014.

In another contemplated embodiment, the condition score comprises amodified early warning score (MEWS). According to this disclosure, thedata needed to calculate the MEWS is obtained from sensors included aspart of person support apparatus 3014, obtained via manual user inputs,obtained from separate monitoring equipment that communicates withcontroller 3074 of apparatus 3014, and/or obtained from the person'sEMR. The MEWS is a known score calculated based on the following table:

Score 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 Systolic BP <70 71-80 81-100 101-199 — >200  — Heartrate — <40 41-50   51-100 101-110 111-129 >130 (BPM) Respiratory —  <9 — 9-14 15-20 21-29  >30 rate (RPM) Temperature — <35 — 35.0-38.4 —  >38.5— (° C.) AVPU — — — A V P U

In the MEWS table, the various integers in the column headings are addedtogether based on the various readings for the person of the datacorresponding to the rows of the table. A score of 5 or greaterindicates a likelihood of death. With regard to the systolic bloodpressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature portions of theMEWS, those pieces of information are obtained using sensors 3036 ofperson support apparatus 3014 and/or using the other manners ofobtaining a person's physiological data as discussed above. It iscontemplated by this disclosure that the AVPU portion of the MEWS isobtained using information from the person support apparatus 3014 asdiscussed below.

The AVPU portion of the MEWS indicates whether a person is alert (A),responsive to voice (V), responsive to pain (P), or unresponsive (U). Asdiscussed above, the person support apparatus 3014 in some embodimentscomprises a hospital bed having a patient position monitoring systemincluding sensors, such as load cells, piezoelectric sensors, and/orforce sensitive resistors (FSR's) which sense a patient's positionand/or movement. In accordance with this disclosure, the patientmovement information is used by the controller to automatically assignan appropriate integer corresponding to the A portion or the U portionof the AVPU line of the MEWS depending upon the amount of movement ofthe patient. For example, if the patient has not moved for a thresholdamount of time, such as fifteen minutes or an hour or some thresholdgreater than or less than these particular times, then the integerassociated with the U portion of the AVPU line of the MEWS is assignedautomatically by controller 3074. If the patient has moved by athreshold amount within a particular time period, then the integerassociated with the A portion of the AVPU line of the MEWS is assignedautomatically by controller 3074.

It is contemplated by this disclosure that the controller 3074 initiatesa voice query to the person in some embodiments. If the person answersthe voice query orally or by engaging a designated user input, such aspressing a particular button mentioned in the voice query, then thecontroller 3074 automatically assigns an appropriate integercorresponding to the V portion of the MEWS. The voice query is apre-recorded message in some embodiments. The voice query is initiatedby controller 3074 if the person has been inactive for the thresholdperiod of time. In other words, in some embodiments, the voice query isinitiated only after the conditions for assigning the U portion of theMEWS has been satisfied. Thus, if the person responds properly to thevoice query, the AVPU portion of the MEWS is assigned as V rather thanU. Apparatus 3014, therefore, has speakers or similar suchsound-producing devices through which the voice query is played and, insome instances, a microphone that picks up the person's oral response.Appropriate interactive voice recognition (IVR) software is provided insuch embodiments.

With regard to determining whether to select the P portion of the AVPUline of the MEWS score, apparatus 3014 is operated to inflict someamount of discomfort to the patient and then monitors the person'sresponse, such as an oral response or movement. For example, in someembodiments, apparatus 3014 includes an inflatable cuff or sleeve placedon a limb of the person and the controller 3074 controls inflation anddeflation of the cuff or sleeve. If the patient movement informationindicates sufficient patient movement by the patient in response toinflation of the cuff or sleeve, then the controller automaticallyassigns the appropriate integer corresponding to the P portion of theAVPU line of the MEWS. Alternatively or additionally, a microphone isused to determine if the patient expresses an audible pain or discomfortsound at which point the integer associated with the P portion of theAVPU line of the MEWS is assigned. The steps for determining whether toassign the P integer are performed only after the steps for determiningwhether to assign the U integer and/or the V integer in someembodiments. That is, operating the person apparatus 3014 so as to causethe patient some discomfort is only done as a last resort. In assigningthe AVPU integer in the MEWS, it will be appreciated that it is thelowest pertinent integer that is assigned. Clearly, an alert personwould also be responsive to voice for example.

The MEWS and Visensia® index discussed above are just a couple ofexamples of condition scores according to this disclosure. The teachingsof this disclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to all types ofcondition scores.

Referring once again to FIG. 6, in the operation of block 3090, thecontroller 3074 compares the calculated condition score (referred tosometimes in FIG. 6 as an “index value” or simply an “index”) with thepredetermined thresholds to determine at least one of the likelihoodthat an adverse condition will occur, an amount of time before anadverse condition will occur, and/or how close the condition score is tothe threshold.

In the conditional of block 3100, if the controller 3074 determines thatthe condition score is greater than the threshold, then, in oneillustrative embodiment, a status update including the condition scoreis communicated to a caregiver through the signaling and communicationsystem 3012 and/or is displayed on the display 3040 as indicated atblock 3110. That is, if the condition score exceeds the threshold, then,in some embodiments, at least one of the condition score and an alertsignal are communicated to a caregiver. In other embodiments, the alertcondition may correspond to the condition score being less than, ratherthan greater than, a particular threshold. The term “greater than” isintended to cover one or both of a greater than situation and a greaterthan or equal to situation and the term “less than” is intended to coverone or both of a less than situation and a less than or equal tosituation.

As alluded to above, in some embodiments, the condition score and/oralert signal are communicated to a caregiver through the signaling andcommunication system 3012. Alternatively or additionally, the conditionscore and/or alert signal are displayed on the display 3040. In stillother embodiments, the condition score and/or alert signal arecommunicated to the Visensia® Alert system sold by OBS Medical. Infurther embodiments, the condition score is communicated to and storedin the person's EMR.

The display 3040 is any suitable display such as a liquid crystaldisplay, touch screen display, plasma screen, light emitting diodedisplay, cathode ray tube display, or other conventional display. Thedisplay 3040 is operable to display multiple parameters thereon alongwith the condition score in some embodiments. In some contemplatedembodiments, the display 3040 displays physiological and/or biochemicalinformation sensed by contact sensors 3044 along with the conditionscore. Thus, it is within the scope of this disclosure for the display3040 to display physiological and/or biochemical information on thedisplay 3040 along with the condition score. In yet other embodiments,the display 3040 displays bed status information and/or graphics, forexample, a head deck section HD angle or PPM armed indicator, on thedisplay along with the condition score. In still other contemplatedexamples, the display 3040 displays bed status information and/orgraphics along with patient condition graphics, such as, pie charts.Other information that is displayable on the display 3040 includes forceprofile information and/or graphics, person position information and/orgraphics, weight, and other physiological information.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, the sensors 3036 are operatively coupledto the control modules 3038 and are configured to sense variousparameters, including, but not limited to, for example, a person'sphysiological information, a position of a person on the person supportapparatus 3014 and/or person support surface 3026, a pressure of thefluid inside the bladders 3028 in the person support surface 3026, orother various parameters. As mentioned above, the sensors 3036 can besensors configured to contact the tissue of a person and/or sensorsconfigured to not contact the tissue of a person. In some embodiments,the sensors 3036 are force sensors 3044 coupled to the upper frame 3018and are configured to measure force on the upper frame 3018 as shown inFIGS. 4 and 7. In some embodiments, the sensors 3036 are force sensors3044 that measure force on the upper frame 3018 and are positionedbetween the intermediate frame 3032 and the upper frame base 3034 so asto couple the intermediate frame 3032 and deck 3030 to the upper framebase 3034.

In some contemplated embodiments, the sensors 3036 are force sensors3044 integrated into the person support surface 3026 and configured tomeasure changes in force on the person support surface 3026 as shown inFIG. 4. Alternatively or additionally, the force sensors 3044 arecoupled to the supports 3020 and/or the lower frame 3016. Sensors 3044integrated into the casters 3024 and/or engaged by the casters 3024 arealso within the scope of this disclosure. In some embodiments, the forcesensors 3044 are load cells that are coupled proximate the corners ofthe intermediate frame 3032. In other embodiments, the sensors 3044 arepiezoelectric sensors and/or elongated sensor strips or arrays 3038. Itwill be appreciated that the force sensors 3044 comprising other forcesensor types can be provided and positioned in other locations on theupper frame 3018 and/or within the person support surface 3026.

In some embodiments, the sensors 3036 are pressure sensors 3046integrated into the person support surface 3026 and configured tomeasure the pressure in or among the fluid bladders 3028 in the personsupport surface 3026 as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 7. The pressuresensors 3046 are coupled between the bladders 3028 in some embodimentssuch that they can allow communication between adjacent bladders 3028.It should be appreciated that the pressure sensors can be situatedwithin the bladders 3028 and/or otherwise positioned to measure thepressure within the bladder 3028. Pressure sensors 3046 coupled tobladders 3028 via pneumatic tubes, hoses, or other types of conduits arecontemplated by this disclosure as well.

In some embodiments, the sensors 3036 are physiological sensors 3048integrated into the person support surface 3026 and configured tomeasure various physiological parameters of a person supported on theperson support surface 3026 as suggested in FIG. 7. Optionally, thephysiological sensors 3048 can be coupled to the upper frame 3018, thesupports 3020, and/or the lower frame 3016 in lieu of being coupled tothe mattress 3046. As indicated above, the force sensor 3044 and/orpressure sensor 3046 are configured to sense physiological parameters insome embodiments. For example, one or more of the physiological sensors3048 are used to sense the heart rate and/or respiration rate of aperson supported on the person support surface 3026 in some embodiments.Alternatively or additionally, one or more of the physiological sensors3048 are configured to sense the temperature of the person. In someembodiments, the physiological sensors 3048 are configured to sense theweight of the person on the person support surface 3026. In someembodiments, the physiological sensors 3048 are pressure-strip sensorsdisposed on the fluid bladders 3028 along an axis parallel to thelateral axis Y1 and/or along an axis parallel with the longitudinal axisX1.

In some embodiments, one or more of the sensors 3036 produces an analogdata signal and is connected directly to the controller 3074. In otherembodiments, one or more of the sensors 3036 produce a digital datasignal, e.g., a serial digital data signal, and are connected to thenetwork 3042, e.g., SPI network, to communicate with the controller3074. The data signals can be stored in the memory 3076, which isoperatively coupled with the controller 3074. As mentioned above, thememory 3076 is integrated into the controller 3074 in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the controller 3074 executes operating logic 3062that defines various control, management, and/or regulation functions asshown in FIG. 8. This operating logic 3062 can be in the form ofsoftware, firmware, and/or dedicated hardware, such as, a series ofprogrammed instructions, code, electronic files, or commands usinggeneral purpose or special purpose programming languages or programsthat can be executed on one or more general purpose or special purposecomputers, processors, other control circuitry, or networks; a hardwiredstate machine; and/or a different form as would occur to those skilledin the art.

In one illustrative embodiment, the controller 3074 includes operatinglogic 3062 in the form of procedure 3064, for example, as shown in theflowchart of FIG. 8. Procedure 3064 includes operations/conditionals asindicated at blocks 3066, 3068, 3070, 3072 and 3074. Procedure 3064 isused to determine when a person is regaining consciousness by comparingthe heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), and/or movement of theperson to predetermined thresholds.

The thresholds are established in accordance with hospital specificstandard protocols in some embodiments and/or are generic thresholdsthat can be modified by caregivers or automatically in otherembodiments. In some embodiments, the preset thresholds that are set bystandard hospital specific protocols, which in some instances areautomatically selected based on information present in a person'selectronic medical record (EMR), in patient profiles, and/or based oncondition scores/indexes. In other embodiments, the thresholds are setby a caregiver through an interface (not shown) on the person-supportapparatus 3014 by manually selecting the protocols or modifying thegeneric thresholds. In yet another contemplated embodiment, thethresholds are automatically modified based on the person's EMR. It iswithin the scope of this disclosure for the thresholds to be personspecific and possibly incorporated into the person's EMR. In someembodiments, the thresholds are incorporated into a patient profile thatis used for multiple people with similar characteristics. In somecontemplated embodiments, the thresholds are modified by a caregiverthrough the signaling and communication system 3012. Alternatively oradditionally, the thresholds are modified or established by, forexample, setting an initial threshold and acknowledging whether theperson is asleep or waking up to teach the system what the appropriatethresholds are to the particular person.

Procedure 3064 begins with operation 3066 where, in some embodiments,the force sensors 3044 and the physiological sensors 3048 post, i.e.,load or place, electronic data signals corresponding to at least one ofan event and an amount on the network 3042. According to contemplatedembodiments, at least one of the force sensors 3044 and thephysiological sensors 3048 post electronic data signals on the network3042 either directly or via other circuitry of the person supportapparatus 3014. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the forcesensors 3044 and the physiological sensors 3048 post electronic datasignals to a memory mailbox or register. As mentioned above, the forcesensors 3044 and/or the physiological sensors 3048 post data signalscontinuously in some embodiment and/or at predetermined intervals inother embodiments.

In the conditional of block 3068, the control modules 3038 examine thedata signals posted by the force sensors 3044 and the physiologicalsensors 3048 on the network 3042 and determine if the module 3038subscribes to the data. If the module 3038 subscribes to the data thenthe data is input into the operating logic 3062 and algorithm 3064proceeds to block 3070. If the module 3038 does not subscribe to thedata, then the algorithm 3064 returns to block 3066 as shown in FIG. 8.

In the operation of block 3070, the controller 3074 compares the posteddata with one or more predetermined thresholds to determine if and howmuch a person has moved with respect to the surface 3020 and/or whetherthe person's respiration rate and/or heart rate has increased ordecreased.

In the conditional of block 3072, if any one or more of the thresholdsare exceeded, the controller 3074 generates an alert signal as indicatedin the operation of block 3077 and communicates the alert to a caregiverthrough the signaling and communication system 3012 that the person isabout to regain consciousness. In some embodiments, the controller 3074also communicates to the caregiver data regarding patient movement, suchas a force profile, the heart rate, and/or the respiration rate and theamount that each has changed. In some embodiments, the controller 3074communicates the alert signal to a display 3040 coupled to the personsupport apparatus 3014. In some embodiments, the controller 3074communicates the alert signal wirelessly or through the signaling andcommunication system 3012 to one or more of a caregiver station, amobile paging device, a cellular phone, a pendant, or remote display(not shown). It should be appreciated that the controller 3074 can alsocommunicate the alert signal through an intercom system (not shown), ifdesired. In some contemplated embodiments, the controller 3074 activatesa light (not shown) coupled to the person support apparatus 3014 and/orsituated outside the hospital room to alert a caregiver that the patientis about to regain consciousness.

According to this disclosure, person support apparatus 3014 reportsinformation regarding a person's sleep quality. Such information isdisplayed on display 3040 in some embodiments. Alternatively oradditionally, the sleep quality information is transmitted to theperson's EMR. Also alternatively or additionally, the sleep qualityinformation is displayed on the screen of a remote computer device.Thus, the sleep quality information is communicated through system 3012in some embodiments to one or more of a caregiver station, a mobilepaging device, a cellular phone, a pendant, or remote display of thetype mentioned above. The sleep quality information is determined bycontroller 3074 via analysis of information sensed by sensors 3036included in the mattress or bed frame of apparatus 3014.

Sleep quality is determined in a number of ways such as by analysis ofone or more of the following: 1) restlessness as measured by a bedmounted accelerometer or by the load cells of a bed's patient positionand/or movement monitoring system, 2) heart rate variability, 3)respiratory rate variability, and/or 4) electroencephalograph (EEG)readings. There are known techniques for determining whether a person isdeep stage sleep (stages III and IV), which are regarded as the mostrestful stages of sleep, by monitoring one or more these parameters,particularly by monitoring parameters 2-4. Other aspects of sleepquality that are contemplated by this disclosure for monitoring and/ordisplaying and/or reporting and/or storing in a person's EMR includingthe following: 1) time until sleep onset (e.g., time it takes from whena person is ready to sleep until the person is actually asleep), 2) theamount of times the person has awoken during a sleep cycle, 3) theamount of times the person exited the person support apparatus duringthe cycle, 4) the amount of movement or restlessness during the sleepcycle regardless of stage of sleep, 5) the amount of time in each stageof sleep (i.e., states I-IV) including the amount of time deep sleep(stages III and IV), and 6) the amount of sleep apnea occurrences.

The sleep quality information provides an indication about a person'scomfort during their stay at a healthcare facility, for example. Somehealth and healing rates are tied to quality and amount of sleep. Thus,the sleep quality information informs caregivers about the sleep thatpatients are getting, which assists in determining the type of everydaytreatment the patients should receive. Also, sleep quality informationcan potentially be helpful in clearing up any arguments or complaintsthat a patient may have with a caregiver or hospital administratorregarding the patient's inability to get any sleep because of noise inthe halls, caregiver interruptions, and so forth. Details of a sleepquality monitoring, display and reporting system are shown and describedin U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0099954 A1 which isassigned to Zeo, Inc. and which is hereby incorporated by referenceherein. According to this disclosure, a system similar to or evensubstantially the same as that disclosed in the '954 publication isintegrated into a hospital bed.

Any theory, mechanism of operation, proof, or finding stated herein ismeant to further enhance understanding of principles of the presentdisclosure and is not intended to make the present disclosure in any waydependent upon such theory, mechanism of operation, illustrativeembodiment, proof, or finding. It should be understood that while theuse of the word preferable, preferably or preferred in the descriptionabove indicates that the feature so described can be more desirable, itnonetheless can not be necessary and embodiments lacking the same can becontemplated as within the scope of the disclosure, that scope beingdefined by the claims that follow.

In reading the claims it is intended that when words such as “a,” “an,”“at least one,” “at least a portion” are used there is no intention tolimit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to thecontrary in the claim. When the language “at least a portion” and/or “aportion” is used the item can include a portion and/or the entire itemunless specifically stated to the contrary.

While embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated and describedin detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it beingunderstood that only the selected embodiments have been shown anddescribed and that all changes, modifications and equivalents that comewithin the spirit of the disclosure as defined herein or by any of thefollowing claims are desired to be protected.

1. A method of predicting when a person supported on a bed is going towake from an unconscious state, the method comprising: sensing a changein position, a heart rate, or a respiration rate of the person on thebed with at least one sensor that is other than an acoustic sensor andthat is included as part of the bed; determining if at least one of thechange in position, the heart rate, and the respiration rate is beyond apredetermined threshold; and posting a person status signal to anetwork, wherein the person status signal is indicative of a consciousstate or an unconscious state of the person.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the person status signal indicative of the conscious state ofthe person is posted to the network when the difference between thefirst position and the second position, the first heart rate and thesecond heart rate, or the first respiration rate and the secondrespiration rate is greater than the predetermined threshold.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the person status signal indicative of theunconscious state of the person is loaded on the network when thedifference between the first force and the second force, the first heartrate and the second heart rate, or the first respiration rate and thesecond respiration rate is less than the predetermined threshold.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is based on theperson's electronic medical record.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe predetermined threshold is set based on a patient profile.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising controlling at least one functionof the bed as a function of the person status signal.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is integrated into a personcontacting surface of a person support surface of the bed.
 8. The methodof claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is integrated into a frameof the bed.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor isintegrated into a bladder of a person support surface of the bed. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises atleast one force sensor.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at leastone force sensor comprises a load cell.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one elongated sensorstrip.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensorcomprises at least one piezoelectric sensor.
 14. The method of claim 1,wherein the at least one sensor is integrated into at least one casterof the bed.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is set by acaregiver using an interface of the bed.
 16. The method of claim 1,further comprising transmitting sleep quality information from the bed.17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sleep quality information isdetermined based on one or more of the following: restlessness asmeasured by change of position of the person, heart rate variability,respiratory rate variability, or electroencephalograph (EEG) readings.18. The method of claim 16, wherein the sleep quality information isbased on one or more of the following: time until sleep onset, theamount of times the person has awoken during a sleep cycle, or theamount of times the person exited the bed during the sleep cycle. 19.The method of claim 1, wherein determining if at least one of the changein position, the heart rate, and the respiration rate is beyond apredetermined threshold comprises determining that two of the change inposition, the heart rate, and the respiration rate are beyond respectivepredetermined thresholds.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein determiningif at least one of the change in position, the heart rate, and therespiration rate is beyond a predetermined threshold comprisesdetermining that all three of the change in position, the heart rate,and the respiration rate are beyond respective predetermined thresholds.